https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/26/politics/marc-fogel-russia/index.htm
July 26 2022 CNN)The family of an American sentenced to 14 years at a hard labor camp in Russia fears that he has been given what amounts to a "a death sentence" and is calling on the Biden administration to designate him as wrongfully detained, which would trigger formal diplomatic efforts to secure his release.
American citizen Marc Fogel worked for nearly a decade as a history teacher at the Anglo-American School in Moscow, where children of US diplomats were among his students.
He was arrested 11 months ago at an airport in the Russian capital, where he was returning for the school year, after traveling into the country with cannabis.
His family and lawyer said he was carrying it for medical purposes that had been recommended by a doctor to treat "severe spinal pain."
The situation around Fogel's case has other similarities to Griner's. Both Americans were arrested at a Russian airport for having cannabis, which they testified was for personal ailments, although Fogel was found to have been carrying much more of the substance than Griner.
